Formed in 2006, the band derived its name from the Wilco song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” and is led by band founder and lead vocalist/ guitarist BJ Barham. A new lineup was announced in April 2017 with new faces joining the ranks: Crooks drummer Joey Bybee, Damn Quails bass player Ben Hussey and guitarist Shane Boeker – all from Texas – along with Nashville pedal-steel player Adam Kurtz, who also fronts Music City's experimental Buck Owens tribute Buck N' Stuff. Bybee left in August 2018 and was replaced by Nashville-based drummer Matty Alger, who in turn left in February 2019. Kurtz left the band after the Mile Zero fest in January 2019, and Hussey left in July 2019.
Their first album, Antique Hearts, was released in 2006, followed by The Bible and the Bottle in 2008.
In 2012, American Aquarium released two albums: Live in Raleigh and Burn. Flicker. Die.
The band released their sixth original album, Wolves, in February 2015.[7] The band's fans helped raise $24,000 through a Kickstarter project to help fund the album's production, and the album was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina at Echo Mountain.
On November 25, 2016 "Live at Terminal West" was released by the band from a live show recording in November 2015 at Terminal West in Atlanta, Georgia.
Things Change was released on New West Records in 2018, followed by
Lamentations (on New West Records) in 2020.
Abe Lincoln
American Aquarium Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing at the bar throwing all the girls passes
Standing in the rain at the end of the line
Trying to steal something that'll never be mine
Could've been Gene Harlow eating popcorn at the movies
Still trying to make me listen to some old Flaming Groovies
Standing on the corner of Hollywood and Vine
You're fading slow like a blood stain on my sleeve
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave
Well I could've been a saint and not a rank backslider
Praying in a cell but I was so deep inside of her
Sittin on the tracks with a bottle of wine
Tryin to find something that will never be mine
You're fading slow like a blood stain on my sleeve
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave Yeah
Could've been that blonde in that big red Cadillac
Flying down the Avenue B baby screaming balls to you daddy I ain't never coming back
Smiling through the glass like an angel divine
Just another kiss that will never be mine
You're fading slow like a blood stain on my sleeve
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave
You're fading slow like a blood stain on my sleeve
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave yeah
The song "Abe Lincoln" by American Aquarium is a melancholic reflection on missed opportunities and lost love. The singer contemplates alternate versions of himself, each with a different identity, from a suave ladies’ man to a Hollywood starlet. He mourns the moments he missed out on, the loves he lost and the paths not taken. As he comes to terms with the fact that some things are meant to stay out of reach, he acknowledges the pain of moving on and the difficulty it entails. The repeated references to fading and blood stains serve as a metaphor for the scars left behind by the experience of trying to hold onto something that is slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
I could've have been Abe Lincoln sportin fifty dollar glasses
I could have been someone great and powerful, like Abe Lincoln, with expensive glasses, but I'm not.
Standing at the bar throwing all the girls passes
I could have been popular and charming, making advances on women at a bar, but I'm not.
Standing in the rain at the end of the line
I'm alone and miserable, stuck at the end of the line in the rain.
Trying to steal something that'll never be mine
I'm trying to obtain something that I'll never truly have, but I can't help myself.
Could've been Gene Harlow eating popcorn at the movies
I could have been an iconic movie star like Gene Harlow, but I'm not.
Still trying to make me listen to some old Flaming Groovies
I'm stuck listening to someone's outdated musical tastes.
Standing on the corner of Hollywood and Vine
I'm in the heart of Hollywood, but I'm not a celebrity or anyone important.
Trying to give me something that will never be mine
Someone is trying to offer me something that will never truly be mine, but I can't resist.
You're fading slow like a blood stain on my sleeve
My connection to you is fading away, like a bloodstain slowly disappearing from my sleeve.
And I'm learning faster and faster what it takes to leave
I'm realizing more quickly what it takes to let go and move on from something.
Well I could've been a saint and not a rank backslider
I could have been a virtuous and honorable person, but instead I've let myself slip and become less respectable.
Praying in a cell but I was so deep inside of her
I should be focused on my faith, but instead I'm consumed by my relationship with someone else.
Sittin on the tracks with a bottle of wine
I'm sitting alone, drowning my sorrows with wine, feeling lost and hopeless.
Tryin to find something that will never be mine
I'm searching for something that I know I can never truly have or attain.
Could've been that blonde in that big red Cadillac
I could imagine myself as someone glamorous and desirable, like a blonde in a fancy car, but I'm not.
Flying down the Avenue B baby screaming balls to you daddy I ain't never coming back
This blonde could be running away from someone or something, shouting defiantly that she'll never return.
Smiling through the glass like an angel divine
Despite her troubles, the blonde still appears beautiful and almost angelic on the other side of a barrier between us.
Just another kiss that will never be mine
Even though I want to possess that beautiful blonde and take her kiss, I know it will never truly be mine.
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.